Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 94 Idealists

The poker game ultimately didn't happen.

Selica deserted again at the last minute.

If you can run so fast, why are you called Serica? Why not just call yourself Race Runner?

When Murphy returned to the magic research institute, he felt as if a long time had passed, as if he had suddenly returned to the modern era from the last century.

The village trip left him exhausted. After taking a disinfectant shower with Selica and arranging for someone to go to the village for another round of disinfection, Murphy fell asleep in his isolation ward.

I slept soundly for ages.

In a daze, he seemed to see many pairs of eyes again.

High above the night sky, countless eyes of different colors, each with its own expression—some filled with pity, others with anger, laughter, or madness.

Those eyes remained fixed on him.

Spanning endless distances, as if spanning billions of years, eternally and intently gazing upon it.

Murphy was startled awake, covered in a cold sweat.

When he woke up, he found himself holding the fur of that unknown creature in his hand.

What is this thing?

Once it was removed from its base, the fur seemed to lose its mystique and became no different from an ordinary piece of fur.

Murphy decided to let the scientists at the institute study it first.

After several more days of quarantine and observation, to ensure that Murphy and Selica posed no risk of spreading the plague, they were released.

Selica has almost fully recovered. After a thorough physical examination, all her indicators were normal. She just needs to rest for a while to fully recover.

Murphy, having developed immunity before entering the village, never contracted the plague. After a few days of rest, he was full of energy again. However, during his quarantine, he couldn't go out and, apart from occasionally watching TV or reading, there wasn't much else to do, which made him incredibly bored.

A few days later, the disinfection team that went to the village returned. Led by Alex, and assisted by more than a dozen experts and several house-elves, they carried out repeated disinfection of the village for a week to ensure that there was no longer any risk of infection.

They also brought back several frozen fire ash snake eggs, which, according to them, were everywhere in the village, though most had already hatched and burned out again.

After confirming that the village was no longer a risk, Murphy was relieved. The magical forest surrounding the village was still there, which should be enough to ensure that no one would accidentally wander into it for a long time. Even if there were still some scattered plague bacteria in the village, it would be difficult for them to spread.

He shouldn't have to worry about the biohazard for now.

As soon as quarantine ended, Murphy couldn't wait to get back to work.

He first had Laura take him to see the house-elves.

They were already familiar with their work at the research institute, which mainly involved cleaning, cooking, and running errands for the researchers. With the help of magic, they did a very good job. Moreover, because the researchers were very curious about the house-elves and were very gentle with them, the house-elves felt a kind of care they had never received in the wizarding world.

Aside from the fact that being fired by their former owners often saddens them, they are generally quite happy.

Murphy also met Dobby, who is currently the only house-elves with a real owner and is highly respected by the other house-elves.

But Murphy fired him immediately and told him he could negotiate with Laura about his salary.

For this house-elf, being his master wouldn't earn him loyalty, so there was no need for all that pretense.

With the addition of these house-elves, the original Muggle staff will no longer be needed, and for the sake of secrecy, they will all be dismissed.

Surprisingly, about a dozen people still wanted to stay, and even the high severance pay did not change their minds.

"Their desire to stay is so strong that some have even said they don't need any compensation," Laura said.

"Oh?" Murphy seemed a little surprised. "Why?"

"Because once they leave here, they will no longer see magic."

Murphy met with these people.

They may not be essential, but there are indeed some jobs they can do at the institute, such as managing the house-elves.

House-elves are generally loyal and efficient, but they are also quite stubborn. It's troublesome to have someone coordinate and organize them. Having these staff members allows for planning and arranging steps for their work, which is much more efficient than letting a bunch of inflexible elves do their own thing.

After Murphy eliminated several opportunists through Legilimency, he left nine people.

"I think you should understand what staying here means," Murphy said. "The research in this institute may not be made public for a long time. Staying here means you will be isolated from the world, and when you have to leave, you may still have to undergo the Oblivion Curse, which will erase these years from your lives."

"The longer you stay here, the more of your life you will lose."

Even so, do you still want to stay?

All nine people nodded silently.

"What's the reason?"

They looked at each other, and finally, a middle-aged man who had been in charge of accommodations stepped forward and said, "My name is Shane Denton. I'm an ordinary person, and my life so far has been utterly mundane. I've spent my whole life managing hotels, raising two children, but I don't know what the meaning of my life is beyond that. Until I came here, I saw magic. I feel lucky; I've witnessed miracles, and I don't want to go back to a time when I knew nothing about them."

Another female chef said, "I feel like I'm participating in something great."

Some people say, "Seeing magic makes me happy."

Murphy listened to their reasons one by one, and finally said, "I understand how you feel."

"Magic is a wonderful thing. As you described it, it sometimes seems like a miracle that suddenly appears in a dull and boring reality."

"I can understand that feeling of being inspired, as if you've witnessed or participated in something extraordinary."

He recalled the dream he had in the village.

What makes him any different from these Muggles? He's just luckier because he happens to be able to use magic.

Yet it is precisely this point that sustains his existence.

Having acquired this seemingly omnipotent power, he felt that perhaps he could find his true self.

"I really want to say that all of this is actually your illusion," Murphy said. "You are all very ordinary. You don't have the aptitude for using magic, and your intelligence and knowledge are unlikely to be of much help in magical research. So, participating in a major event, or getting involved with magic, is probably just wishful thinking on your part."

The staff were all dejected; their dismissal was proof that they could be replaced.

"But, how should I put it? I also somewhat admire your courage."

"To treat something unattainable as a dream is incredibly unwise. Many people might think you're foolish. Perhaps one day you'll realize how foolish you were. But, in this world, who isn't living in a self-constructed illusion?"

"In this respect, I'm not much better than you."

"Life is but a dream, and all we can do is revel in it to the fullest."

Murphy said, shaking hands with Shane Denton, who was at the front. "So, I personally welcome you to stay. Idealists."

(End of this volume)

(End of this chapter)